Page 53 of When Roses Burn

“Don’t call me that again! Seth died in that harem.”

Her panicked eyes widened as her face visibly paled. She was the best actress I’d ever met in my life.

I told myself this, but that nagging, inner part of me wanted to believe her. Perhaps it wasn’t just me and the beast who desired her. Maybe the animal I was supposed to shift into, the one who’d marked her as its mate years before it should have been able to do so, wasn’t as dead as I’d believed over the years. Maybe a part of it still lived inside the twisted monstrosity I’d become.

If that was true, it would have to get used to disappointment when it came to Briar, because none of us would be allowed to have her again.

“Now move,” I snarled.

She gulped, but a steely resolve came into her eyes before she straightened to her full height and started walking. She stopped hitting me as we climbed the steps, and when we arrived at the second-floor balcony, she clamped her mouth shut and focused straight ahead. Her shoulders remained back, but the color didn’t return to her skin.

Behind us, tiny footfalls followed us up the steps, as did the flutter of wings. I didn’t have to look back to know Dromon and Lyra hadn’t followed us. They had other shit to do.

I steered Briar around two rosebushes at the bottom of the second-floor stairs and on toward the third level. More ivy, this time in a vibrant, orange hue, entwined the banisters and railings.

Despite the sprites’ best efforts to keep it looking healthy, the plants were more wilted than the last time I was here. They were also missing more leaves.

After escaping the harem, I was surprised to discover that not only had Wildwood been cursed, but the sprites who once resided in the woods had moved into the castle. The suffering of the woods was too much for them to handle, and there were far too many trees and plants for them to save them all.

Here, in the castle, between the countless plants and trees indoors, the garden, and the field for the animals, they’d claimed a small space where they could thrive and also do a lot of good for the plants they tended with such care. It was the only reason I put up with their shit.

Without them, everything in here would be dead or nearly dead, probably even the rosebushes. While I didn’t know if they could eventually save the shifters, they couldn’t let the roses die.

The sprites tended to the rosebushes throughout town as well. They didn’t go beyond the village as, without all the shifters to keep watch over Wildwood, more vicious creatures dared to enter the kingdom. Because of the dragon, the worst of the animals stayed away from the town, but the woods crawled with creatures that never would have entered them before… like the basilisk.

Despite everything the sprites did, it was evident their efforts were starting to fail here. The plants needed sun; the whole kingdom did.

If the sprites lost the haven they’d created within these grounds, they’d have to leave as, without the plants and water here to nurture their souls, they’d wither and die too. Because of their diminutive size, they’d have a difficult time traveling to Terra, the closest kingdom where other sprites resided and where they could find safety. Many of them might not make it.

They exasperated me, but I’d do everything I could to keep them safe from the consequences of my shitty choices. My hand tightened on Briar’s arm before easing.

We strode down the hall with the sprites in tow, past more plants, roses, and numerous closed doors. This entire hall once belonged to my family, but I was the only one who remained.

I had no idea where my two brothers and sister were, as there were no rosebushes in their apartments, but I knew where my mother and father were. They’d been sitting on their thrones when the curse occurred; they remained there.

At the end of the hall, I opened the door to reveal a set of winding, stone steps spiraling up to the tower. Briar’s arm tensed beneath my palm, but she didn’t try to pull it free.

“Go,” I commanded her.

She hesitated, and when her gaze slid to me, rage shimmered in her eyes. With the regal dignity I’d seen often from her, she stepped past me to ascend the stairs. I released her arm as she climbed with the grace that had always mesmerized me.

When she reached the top, she didn’t hesitate to grasp the knob and push the door open before sweeping into the room. I followed her inside, which had three walls made of windows.

This tower was one of my favorite places to retreat to when I was a child, as the view of the kingdom was spectacular from here. That view was nowhere near as striking as it once was, as most of the green fields had browned, their crops were gone, and there was nothing left for the animals to graze on.

The sprites managed to keep some crops growing in the gardens, and there remained one field for the livestock to graze and hay to grow. However, the food was nowhere near as bountiful in Wildwood as it once was.

With the bottom of my coat dragging the floor, Briar strode over to stand before the windows. With a blank expression, she gazed out at the land.

It had been years since I was last up here, but the sprites must have kept up with it, as it was spotless and the potted plants scattered throughout the room were in decent health. The bed pushed against the stone wall also doubled as a sofa with deep blue pillows that provided a luxurious space to rest and read, as I’d done many times over the years.

A small wardrobe stood beside the bed, and a doorway led to the bathroom beyond. The last time I’d looked in the wardrobe, it was empty. When I pulled the doors open, I discovered it remained barren.

“She’ll need clothes,” I said to Bertie.

She hovered in the doorway with her attention on Briar as Ridge stood below her and watched me. Bertie’s husband was the same height as her with blue dragonfly wings, black hair, and brown eyes.

“I’ll send someone to gather some,” Ridge said. “I’m sure at least a few of the servants were the same size as her.”